(the pencils are flat so they don't roll off the bench)
^This is what I have learned today.
Oh, is that why the pencils are flat?
I mean, it's bllindingly obvious now he mentions it, but I never managed to work it out before.
The pencils are great - for the reason that has enlightened some people today - BUT you need either strange-shaped or VERY LARGE ears to put one behind your ear in true woodworker style.
I also find that the little wooden pencils from either IKEA or Screwfix are pretty useful and ear-friendly ....
AND talking about rolling off the bench . . I was watching a YouTube video the other day where the chap made a non-slip push-stick* for his table-saw** from a bit of broomstick with a rubber walking stick ferrule on the end ..... he also taped a small piece of wood to the other end to stop it rolling away.
* what its says, to push wood being sawn past the blade rather than risk your fingers
** imagine a circular saw upside down, under a table with the blade poking through the slot in the top - pretty scary (and more so for the US woodworkers that don't have guards on their machines)